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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · wound · jam · cold · arm · mouse · key · deal

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. roll — a cake
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com